Checking The Box "I Also Serve Customers At This Business Address"

[WesB]

Hello, I recently posted my issue about my GMB listing sinking out of the 3 pack and received some great advice from Joy, Colin and Yan. Thanks for that!

This is for a carpet and upholstery business.

I've also been reading tons of material online and asking questions. Got some advice about schema markup being incomplete etc. The latest bit of advice is from a guy telling me I should tick the box "I also serve customers at this business address." He says that lately google is favoring service businesses that show their address more and more.
For the past few years I was warned to hide my address because I could be penalized. But skip to present day and I see a lot of my competitors ignoring this and it hasn't seemed to have hurt their ranking. Now, technically I do serve customers from my home/business address. Customers have on occasion stopped by and either dropped off their vehicle or waited while I cleaned their car in my driveway or pulled it into my garage if the weather was bad. Customers have even dropped off rugs to clean. I have a separate garage that I operate my business out of.

Do you recommend I tick this box? If it helps me increase ranking I'm all for it! My address is already on my website and on who knows how many directories.

 

[JoyHawkins]

He says that lately google is favoring service businesses that show their address more and more.

I mentioned it recently in this thread but I have not seen any evidence that unhiding your address has any impact on ranking in quite some time. I would strongly recommend asking your guy why he thinks that.

I also haven't seen Google penalize a verified listing for showing their address. If customers show up there, you're totally fine to do it.

 

[Casey Donovan]

One thing to consider, is your home address "staffed" during the business hours shown on GMB? If so, you can display the address and still be within Google's guidelines.

As for ranking impact, I agree with Joy: it would be pure speculation to say Google favors visible addresses.

 

[WesB]

Very interesting. Well I guess it can't hurt. My wife is here to take the occasional customer. Although no one has ever just shown up at the door. It's usually from a caller that needs to sell their car, it's winter and they have no garage. So she sets up a time for them to stop by.

I'm just baffled at some of the competition that's ranking. There's a company that will rank in 2nd place that has no website, never claimed their GMB listing and has a 3-star and a 5-star review. Huh? Compare that to my listing with a decent amount of photos, posts and 43 5-star reviews, and an actual website. Bizarre...

 

[Colan Nielsen]

@WesB Let us know if it has an impact on your ranking. As Joy mentioned we have seen this work before but it was only once, a long time ago.

I have always suspected that there is an indirect ranking boost to having a visible address. My hypothesis is that people tend to trust a listing with a visible address over one that isn't visible and so it has a better CTR. Still need to test this though.

 

[WesB]

Colan, I will indeed let you all know if I see any immediate improvement. I went ahead and ticked the box. Now to wait for them to approve the update. From what you all posted, I'm not expecting anything significant.
I also was given some advice that I should try and post every day. The guy has a client who is doing this and has noticed a major increase in business from his listing. I don't know if I want to post every day but I'll definitely try for 3-4 a week to give it a shot.

 

[WesB]

I just went into the GMB dashboard and they want me to verify the business again. So I clicked "verify" and they are mailing another postcard out. Looks like I won't be able to update anything in there until the postcard arrives. Wasn't expecting that but oh well, the deed is done. Hopefully this won't hurt my ranking even more.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

I just went into the GMB dashboard and they want me to verify the business again. So I clicked "verify" and they are mailing another postcard out. Looks like I won't be able to update anything in there until the postcard arrives. Wasn't expecting that but oh well, the deed is done. Hopefully this won't hurt my ranking even more.

Hey Wes, rankings should not be impacted by having to re-verify a listing. I'm surprised though that checking the box triggered a re-verification.

Just double check to make sure the listing is still live on maps and you should be fine.

 

[WesB]

I was surprised too. Slightly disappointed because I can't edit anything for now. But yes it is currently still live.

 

[Tim Colling]

I remember from a long time ago that if we asked for verification and then updated something on the listing before we received and entered the verification PIN, that triggered an entire new verification waiting period.

I don't know whether that happens anymore, though. Does anyone here know?

 

[OneBlessedDude]

I would have left it, except for what Colan said, could get you a higher CTR.. but when then it goes into does Mrs Smith want to see your house and think, " what does this guy work out of his garage ?" or does she want to think she is dealing with a bigger "trusted" company with an actual office. Most Mrs. Smiths I have found want the El Corpo/Franchise with the pro looking office vs the home grown Jimmy down the street. ( even though I prefer the opposite )

And isn't it against guidlines to have a home address as a "serve customers at this adresss" box checked?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

And isn't it against guidlines to have a home address as a "serve customers at this adresss" box checked?

As long as you will actually see customers at your home address it's totally eligible.

 

[OneBlessedDude]

As long as you will actually see customers at your home address it's totally eligible.

Thanks for clearing that up I had no idea!

 

[Colan Nielsen]

@Tim Colling

I remember from a long time ago that if we asked for verification and then updated something on the listing before we received and entered the verification PIN, that triggered an entire new verification waiting period.

I don't know whether that happens anymore, though. Does anyone here know?

I believe that is still the case.

 

[spainops]

I think you have to have signage though which clearly shows on the street view

 

[WesB]

I was worried about that. Fortunately I received the card yesterday. Typed in the code and I'm back up and running. No signage needed.